JGL Songs Presents Pride 2009 – Official Video Release

JGL Songs brings us Pride 2009 that commemorates all of LGBTQ history and celebrates the last 40 years of Gay Pride since the riots at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, New York City.  Of particular note, it was June 28, 1969 that a police raid turned violent where gays and lesbians fought back marking the the start of the Gay Movement in the United States.  

The official release of Pride 2009 is prior to the upcoming CD album Pride at 40 to be released later in April 2009.

"Pride 2009" – in celebration of GLBTQ pride and the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion, the birth of gay pride. From the upcoming CD "Pride at 40," (JGLsongs LLC). Final audio performed by Jon Gilbert Leavitt featuring Freddy Freeman and Kevin Hannan Music and lyrics by Jon Gilbert Leavitt ©2009 JGLsongs LLC (ASCAP); audio produced by Freddy Freeman and Jon Gilbert Leavitt; video directed by Jon Gilbert Leavitt.

We spoke with Jon Gilbert Leavitt to get some personal insight surrounding the new release.  Jon says Pride 2009 is a follow up to to a song (no video) he wrote in 1999 that marked the 20th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. 

Jon Gilbert Leavitt – “Now, ten years later with a lot of things happening in our community (which frankly, in 2000 I wouldn’t have imagined, like actual, legal gay marriage!), I wanted to update the song and re-record it with new vocals and arrangements, add verses and have it out there in time for this year…the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall rebellions and the birth of (what we know as) gay pride.”

Update it is exactly what he did and the result is nothing less than stellar in our view.  The song is akin to the style of Billy Joel’s We didn’t start the Fire with an urban upbeat and masterfully scored original music pounding the meaning and passion of the lyrics.  We think Pride 2009 should be the anthem of all 2009 Pride events.

Vocals were performed by Kevin Hannan, Freddy Freeman and Jon Gilbert Leavitt.  Hannan is Jon’s partner of 8 years and Freeman is a close friend.  Both of whom Jon met through OutMusic, an alliance of LGBT musicians and collaborators.  Jon Gilbert Leavitt recorded the vocals and musical score digitally in his home studio in NYC.  In a production collaboration with Freeman, his vocals were co-produced in Nashville where Freeman resides.  We asked Jon to tell us an interesting fact about the studio production.  Here’s what he had to say: 

…it has a ton of lyrics…which need to be sung very fast…and still have to be understood. Not easy…so you can imagine how many takes even a few words have to go through! (Try saying “…Greenwich Village, Bloomsbury, gays in high society” ten times very fast.)

On that note we’d like to thank Jon and the gang for graciously providing the lyrics both in PDF as well as annotated on the video itself.  Without them it can be difficult to following along though every word is clear and profound – It’s just fast!

The video production includes a variety of video footage and image stills both modern and vintage to showcase gay life throughout history.  Jon says he purposely chose footage from Pride Events from around the world to help instill the fact that Gay Pride is not just an American movement but has grown on a global scale.  Impacting photographs make up a large portion of the video.  Some of the photographers with Flickr links are Daniel Greene (from Phoenix, AZ), See-ming Lee (from New York) and Duane Dial (from Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN) and Jon Gilbert Leavitt himself. 

Photos left to right by: Daniel Greene, Jon Gilbert Leavitt, See-ming Lee (Click to enlarge).

We asked Jon what he hopes Pride 2009 will achieve,

It’s purpose is not to promo a CD or even sell a CD (I am a composer, writer and produce and develop music – I’m not a band or performer looking to gig and get big e-mail lists), but to get the pride out there to our community – and maybe give some people the ‘aha’ moment about where we came from – whether GLBTQ or straight allies and supporters.

That’s a great answer and it shows the humble generosity of the man behind the scenes.  A man that wants to give back to his community in song.  In order to reach the community the word must get out and be shared.  So if you’re got even the tiniest of space anywhere on the web we ask that you either share the video, provide a link back to JGL Songs and or link to this article.  Pride 2009 will also be featured on an upcoming episode of Introducing… Fresh on the net, a BBC 6 Radio production with Host Tom Robinson.

The upcoming and very soon to be released CD, Pride at 40, featuring Pride 2009 will also contain at least 5 other tracks.  Those tracks are listed below and Jon has been kind enough to offer a few words related to each one.  The completed tracks can be heard on a dedicated page at JGL Songs.

Open World – Becky Maas

A very pop tune I wrote and produced with an amazing female artist named Becky Maas – not lesbian, but amazing nonetheless

Sofabed – Kevin Hannan

A solo cut by Kevin Hannan (of a song we co-composed and I produced); it’s an upbeat rock song which explores the relationship between a straight man with a girlfriend who uses his good gay male friend for sex and closeness although doesn’t think he’s questioning. Therefore, they make it in a sofabed and not the real bed…it’s easily put away and hidden.

Starbucks Boy – David Brown

A song originally written by Dean Friedman called McDonald’s Girl, which was a minor hit for him in the late ‘70’s and remade by the Barenaked Ladies in the ‘90’s and got to be a minor hit. I changed the lyrics from McDonald’s Girl to Starbucks Boy…with Dean Friedman’s permission and enthusiasm. He’s a straight ally with an amazing record of songs and hits that have spanned over 30 years. That song [Starbuck Boy] is currently being recorded by NY-based artist David Brown. It’s a little more rocked-up than the original, and (apropos to the theme), features the sound of a barista’s milk steamer in beat.

Howl – Jon Gilbert Leavitt

A dance-track instrumental I wrote honoring Allen Ginsberg.

Mithli Mithlak – Jon Gilbert Leavitt

Another original dance instrumental track that mixed middle Eastern motifs with house and trance beats. That was inspired by a friend of mine, who produced a wonderful movie called “A Jihad for Love,” about GLBTQ Muslims – very controversial, but did and still is playing in some theatres, festivals, etc. If you never saw that, you should – it’s very powerful. There might also be one more cut on there, by Freddy Freeman, but that depends simply on time.

We listened to the completed tracks and liked them all.  Aside from the feature song, Pride 2009, all are great and our favorite is Howl followed by the close second, Open World.  Mithli Mithlak is an instrumental wonder with the merging of sounds that had to be difficult to mix in order to achieve such masterful results.  It’s clear that Jon Gilbert Leavitt is a master at composing as well as a very talented producer.  We’re also looking forward to hearing Sofabed and Starbucks Boy which was still in production at the time this article was written.  LikaStarr.com will update this page when the Pride at 40 CD has been released.

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